The ratio of MSA to non-sea-salt sulphate in Antarctic Peninsula ice
                        cores

Mulvaney, Robert; Pasteur, Elizabeth C.; Peel, David; Saltzman, E. S.; Whung, Pai-Yei

doi:10.3402/tellusb.v44i4.15457

Cited by 76 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Ca, K, Na, Mg, and Cl). Some source identification is feasible by analysing other chemical species, such as levoglucosan as a tracer for biomass burning [45], methanesulfonic acid (MSA) for marine biogenic dimethyl sulphide emissions [46,47], and electric conductivity measurements of acidity for volcanic activity [48,49].…”

Section: Measurements Of Pre-industrial Aerosolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerosols in the Pre-industrial Atmosphere

Carslaw

Gordon

Hamilton

et al. 2017

Curr Clim Change Rep

111

107

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Purpose of Review We assess the current understanding of the state and behaviour of aerosols under pre-industrial conditions and the importance for climate. Recent Findings Studies show that the magnitude of anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing over the industrial period calculated by climate models is strongly affected by the abundance and properties of aerosols in the preindustrial atmosphere. The low concentration of aerosol particles under relatively pristine conditions means that global mean cloud albedo may have been twice as sensitive to changes in natural aerosol emissions under preindustrial conditions compared to present-day conditions. Consequently, the discovery of new aerosol formation processes and revisions to aerosol emissions have large effects on simulated historical aerosol radiative forcing.Summary We review what is known about the microphysical, chemical, and radiative properties of aerosols in the pre-industrial atmosphere and the processes that control them. Aerosol properties were controlled by a combination of natural emissions, modification of the natural emissions by human activities such as land-use change, and anthropogenic emissions from biofuel combustion and early industrial processes. Although aerosol concentrations were lower in the pre-industrial atmosphere than today, model simulations show that relatively high aerosol concentrations could have been maintained over continental regions due to biogenically controlled new particle formation and wildfires. Despite the importance of preindustrial aerosols for historical climate change, the relevant processes and emissions are given relatively little consideration in climate models, and there have been very few attempts to evaluate them. Consequently, we have very low confidence in the ability of models to simulate the aerosol conditions that form the baseline for historical climate simulations. Nevertheless, it is clear that the 1850s should be regarded as an early industrial reference period, and the aerosol forcing calculated from this period is smaller than the forcing since 1750. Improvements in historical reconstructions of natural and early anthropogenic emissions, exploitation of new Earth system models, and a deeper understanding and evaluation of the controlling processes are key aspects to reducing uncertainties in future.

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Section: Measurements Of Pre-industrial Aerosolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerosols in the Pre-industrial Atmosphere

Carslaw

Gordon

Hamilton

et al. 2017

Curr Clim Change Rep

111

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…) and data from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP). Possible temporal variability in the mean endmember values is contained within the ascribed uncertainties, as assessed by our own time series data, isotopic values in highresolution shallow ice core data from the Antarctic Peninsula (Abram et al 2011;Mulvaney et al 1992;Thomas et al 2009;Thompson et al 1994), and so on. For example, seasonal and interannual variations in d…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Freshwater System West of the Antarctic Peninsula: Spatial and Temporal Changes

et al. 2013

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Climate change west of the Antarctic Peninsula is the most rapid of anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere, with associated changes in the rates and distributions of freshwater inputs to the ocean. Here, results from the first comprehensive survey of oxygen isotopes in seawater in this region are used to quantify spatial patterns of meteoric water (glacial discharge and precipitation) separately from sea ice melt. High levels of meteoric water are found close to the coast, due to orographic effects on precipitation and strong glacial discharge. Concentrations decrease offshore, driving significant southward geostrophic flows (up to ;30 cm s 21 ). These produce high meteoric water concentrations at the southern end of the sampling grid, where collapse of the Wilkins Ice Shelf may also have contributed. Sea ice melt concentrations are lower than meteoric water and patchier because of the mobile nature of the sea ice itself. Nonetheless, net sea ice production in the northern part of the sampling grid is inferred; combined with net sea ice melt in the south, this indicates an overall southward ice motion. The survey is contextualized temporally using a decade-long series of isotope data from a coastal Antarctic Peninsula site. This shows a temporal decline in meteoric water in the upper ocean, contrary to expectations based on increasing precipitation and accelerating deglaciation. This is driven by the increasing occurrence of deeper winter mixed layers and has potential implications for concentrations of trace metals supplied to the euphotic zone by glacial discharge. As the regional freshwater system evolves, the continuing isotope monitoring described here will elucidate the ongoing impacts on climate and the ecosystem.

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“…Second, MSA movement has been reported to occur in the upcore direction (Curran et al, 2002), ruling out gravitational forcing as the sole mechanism for migration. These observations, corroborated by evidence for highly concentrated regions of sulfuric acid at the interface of individual ice crystals , led to speculation that liquid migration of soluble impurities could occur along the boundaries of individual ice crystals, likely along concentration gradients (Mulvaney et al, 1992). However, critical questions remain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The strong seasonality and unique marine source of MSA in ice cores have led to its predominant use as a high-resolution proxy for past sea-ice cover (e.g., Welch et al, 1993;Abram et al, 2013). Mulvaney et al (1992) appear to be the first authors to report migration of MSA in polar ice, using data from Dolleman Island, Antarctic Peninsula. In the shallow portions of the Dolleman Island core, concentrations of MSA exhibited well-defined summer maxima, as expected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methanesulfonic acid (MSA) migration in polar ice: data synthesis and theory

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Methanesulfonic acid (MSA; CH 3 SO 3 H) in polar ice is a unique proxy of marine primary productivity, synoptic atmospheric transport, and regional sea-ice behavior. However, MSA can be mobile within the firn and ice matrix, a post-depositional process that is well known but poorly understood and documented, leading to uncertainties in the integrity of the MSA paleoclimatic signal. Here, we use a compilation of 22 ice core MSA records from Greenland and Antarctica and a model of soluble impurity transport in order to comprehensively investigate the vertical migration of MSA from summer layers, where MSA is originally deposited, to adjacent winter layers in polar ice.We find that the shallowest depth of MSA migration in our compilation varies over a wide range (∼ 2 to 400 m) and is positively correlated with snow accumulation rate and negatively correlated with ice concentration of Na + (typically the most abundant marine cation). Although the considered soluble impurity transport model provides a useful mechanistic framework for studying MSA migration, it remains limited by inadequate constraints on key physicochemical parameters -most notably, the diffusion coefficient of MSA in cold ice (D MS ). We derive a simplified version of the model, which includes D MS as the sole parameter, in order to illuminate aspects of the migration process. Using this model, we show that the progressive phase alignment of MSA and Na + concentration peaks observed along a high-resolution West Antarctic core is most consistent with 10 −12 m 2 s −1 < D MS < 10 −11 m 2 s −1 , which is 1 order of magnitude greater than the D MS values previously estimated from laboratory studies. More generally, our data synthesis and model results suggest that (i) MSA migration may be fairly ubiquitous, particularly at coastal and (or) highaccumulation regions across Greenland and Antarctica; and (ii) can significantly change annual and multiyear MSA concentration averages. Thus, in most cases, caution should be exercised when interpreting polar ice core MSA records, although records that have undergone severe migration could still be useful for inferring decadal and lower-frequency climate variability.

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The ratio of MSA to non-sea-salt sulphate in Antarctic Peninsula ice cores

Cited by 76 publications

References 17 publications

Aerosols in the Pre-industrial Atmosphere

Aerosols in the Pre-industrial Atmosphere

The Freshwater System West of the Antarctic Peninsula: Spatial and Temporal Changes

Methanesulfonic acid (MSA) migration in polar ice: data synthesis and theory

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